1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to revolvers, handguns, and other firearms having an external hammer, and in particular to the hand or pawl in the firearm for rotating the cylinder and driving it to its next firing position, and for the hand spring located directly behind the hand or pawl which assists in urging the hand or pawl into its operating position.
2. Prior Art
The present invention relates to firearms including but not limited to those having an external hammer which must be manually cocked before the trigger can be pulled. The hammer is functionally incapable of being cocked simply by pulling the trigger, as is the case with double action firearms. Such firearms include single action revolvers, single shot rifles, and the like. All of these firearms share in common a hand or cylinder pawl which is pivotally mounted on the hammer or similar portion of the mechanism by means of a pin or stud. The upper end of the cylinder pawl engages the cylinder ratchet at the rearward end of the cylinder, thereby causing the cylinder to rotate when the hammer is rotated backward to its cocked position. Located directly behind the hand or cylinder pawl is the hand spring, which assists in urging the hand forward into its operating position.
Prior art patents include the following: U.S. Pat. No. 566,393 issued to Fyrberg, U.S. Pat. No. 658,314 issued by Bye; and U.S. Pat. No. 3,777,384 issued to Rugger et al. In each of the three above referenced United States patents, the hand has a hole machined into its lower portion to accommodate a pin or stud by which the hand or pawl is attached to the hammer. Though not discussed in the specification of any of the patents, it is apparent from the figures that the pin or stud fits tightly into the hole in the hand or pawl, and there is very little if any room for the pin or stud to move within the hand or pawl. None of these patents discuss or indicate in the drawings the use of a hand spring directly behind the hand.
A common type of hand or pawl is used in the Colt Single Action Army Revolver. In this embodiment, the lower portion of the hand has a button attached into it and the button is used to pivotally mount the hand to the hammer. Located directly behind the hand is a hand spring which is fixed to the hand at its lower portion.
The hand is one of the last elements to be placed into the finished revolver. As a result, it is usually necessary to fit the hand into the revolver after all of the other elements have been placed in the revolver. It is frequently necessary to hand stone or hand machine each hand or pawl so that it fits properly within the revolver. Since the forward position of the hand is involved in rotating the cylinder during each firing of the gun, the forward portion of the hand is subject to extensive were and tear. When the forward end of the hand becomes sufficiently worn so that it can no longer rotate the cylinder properly, the gun must be torn apart to replace the worn hand with a new hand which once again must be individually fitted to the specific gun.
Additionally, with the precise fitting of the pivot pin or stud inside the lower portion of the hand, there is no extra longitudinal movement provided for the hand. Therefore, if the hand becomes slightly worn and is a little too short, the cylinder would not be indexed completely around to its next revolution if the hammer is cocked backward very slowly. Also, due to the lack of longitudinal play in the hand, if the hand is initially too long, it could create a mechanical bind as it engages the ratchet, thereby also failing to properly rotate the cylinder to its next revolution. Therefore, the precise fitting is necessary to be sure that the hand fits properly within the revolver and further to assure that the hand is not too long or too short so that the risk of mechanical binding and improper indexing of the cylinder is eliminated.
All of the designs for a hand or pawl discussed in the three referenced patents and in the Colt single action army revolver have the inherent problems discussed above. There is no longitudinal play for the hand since the pin or stud in the hand used in the gun of the three referenced patents fits precisely within the hole in the lower portion of the hand and the button in the hand of the Colt single action army revolver is rigidly attached to the lower portion of one side of the hand. The hand spring of the Colt single action army revolver is rigidly attached to the lower rear portion of the hand, and also offers no assistance in increasing the longitudinal play of the hand.